The 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL) retentions were released on Thursday (7th November 2024), and it has led to some important decisions by the teams, with players being retained and released. Each team has carefully assessed their core group to ensure a good balance and strategy for the season ahead.
This time, we have seen some bold moves, with Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz being very active. Gujarat Giants decided to release T20 World Cup winner Lea Tahuhu and senior all-rounder Sneh Rana. On the other hand, UP Warriorz decided to keep their star players. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore also made calculated moves during the retention period.
While some decisions were obvious, there are others that are surprising. Let’s take a look at the surprising releases from the WPL retention day.
Sneh Rana
Sneh Rana is one of the biggest surprises in the WPL retentions. Sneh, who captained Gujarat Giants in the inaugural season, was let go by Gujarat Giants this season. Sneh comes with a lot of experience, having taken 24 wickets in 25 T20Is.
In the two seasons of WPL, she has played 12 matches, taken 6 wickets, and scored 47 runs in 8 innings. Although her records are not flashy, her leadership ability is something that cannot be ignored. She has shown an excellent ability to lead a team and guide the players.
Isabelle Wong
Isabelle Wong is another surprising release by Mumbai Indians. The 22-year-old English pacer has a good amount of T20 experience, having featured in the Women’s Big Bash, The Hundred Women’s, and WPL.
She has been a good investment for Mumbai Indians, taking 18 wickets in 12 matches for the Mumbai side. Along with that, she has also scored 76 runs in 6 innings, with a strike rate of 146.15. Her release is surprising, as Mumbai Indians will lack a young medium-fast pacer in their team.
Nadine de Klerk
A surprising release by RCB is Nadine de Klerk. The 24-year-old has all-round abilities and is a fantastic player. At just 23 years old, she has amazing T20I experience, having played 62 matches, scoring 534 runs, and also taking 46 wickets.
She didn’t get a chance to prove herself in WPL with RCB, playing only one match, where she took 2 wickets. Meanwhile, she has played 23 matches in BBL, taking 10 wickets and scoring 165 runs for Brisbane Heat.
Lea Tahuhu
Gujarat Giants have let go of experienced T20 World Cup winner Lea Tahuhu. The New Zealand pacer, wasn’t among the preferred overseas players for the Giants, featuring in just two matches and taking one wicket at an economy rate of 7.60. However, she has taken 93 wickets in 96 games in T20Is.
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